The district concluded its HPV vaccination drive with 77.71 percent coverage, vaccinating 307,421 girls out of a target of 395,609.
Coverage varies by tehsil as Kotli Sattian leads and Rawalpindi rural lags
The district wide campaign, jointly run by UNICEF and the District Health Authority, aimed to protect girls aged nine to fourteen against cervical cancer.
It ran from September 15 to September 27 and mobilised school and community teams across urban and rural zones.
Kotli Sattian recorded the highest coverage at 91.6 percent, reflecting strong community participation and efficient outreach.
Rawalpindi City reached 83.5 percent and Cantonment posted 83.1 percent. Meanwhile, Kahuta reached 81 percent and Murree achieved 80.9 percent despite challenging terrain.
Gujar Khan stood at 76.7 percent, while Rawalpindi rural trailed at 68.9 percent.
Missed vaccinations of HPV linked to parental refusal, absence, and illness
According to health officials, 88,188 eligible girls did not receive the HPV dose.
The main reasons were parental refusal, non availability of girls at home or school, and illness on vaccination days.
These gaps limited overall performance in pockets where caregivers sought more information or where families were not present during outreach visits.
Officials said counsellors and vaccinators will revisit these neighbourhoods to address concerns and to guide parents on the safety and benefits of HPV vaccination.
Authorities plan follow up to raise protection in hard to reach communities
The District Health Authority said mop up activities will continue so that girls who missed the first round can receive protection at the earliest opportunity.
Schools will schedule additional sessions, while community teams will use home visits to reach out of school girls.
In addition, local leaders and health educators will deploy myth busting material to reduce refusals.
The campaign’s organisers called the 77.71 percent coverage an important step toward cervical cancer prevention, yet they stressed that higher uptake is necessary to build strong immunity in the community. Further updates will follow once the next round of outreach is complete.
